Torfaen

The religious profile of Torfaen changed substantially in the decade to 2011. At the same time there were changes in health and housing tenure.

The population changed very little

In the decade leading up to the most recent census, the population of Torfaen remained close to 91,100.

The addition of about 100 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of Wales (up 5.5% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Torfaen was home to, on average, 5.2 people per football pitch-sized piece of land (about 7,140 square metres). This made it Wales' third-most densely-populated district.

Population density was higher than the average across Wales

Population density (usual residents per 7,140 square metres) across Wales, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

Welsh language in Torfaen

The proportion of Welsh speakers in Torfaen fell from 11% to 9.8% in the 10 years leading up to Census 2011.

There are 784 fewer people living here who spoke Welsh compared with 2001, while the number of people who did not spoke Welsh increased by 566.

In nearby Caerphilly, 11% of people over the age of three could speak some Welsh, up from 11% at the 2001 census. Across Wales, the proportion fell from 21% to 19%.

Monmouthshire was one of the few areas that saw an increase in the proportion of Welsh speakers (from 9.0% in 2001 to 9.9% in 2011), while Carmarthenshire saw the largest fall (from 50% to 44%).

The proportion of people who could speak Welsh was lower than across Wales

Percentage of people aged three and over that that said they could speak Welsh across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

More single parents

This area saw Wales' third-largest rise in the proportion of single-parent households.

During this period, Torfaen overtook Swansea, Cardiff and Neath Port Talbot to become the Wales local authority area with the sixth-highest percentage of single-parent households.

In 2011, just under one in eight (12%) households in Torfaen had a single parent, compared with 11% in 2001. The percentage with a married couple decreased from 39% to 34%.

The largest increase occurred in Rhondda Cynon Taf (from 12% to 13%) followed by Wrexham (from 9.7% to 11%).

The percentage of households with a single-parent was higher than across Wales

Percentage of households that that had a single parent across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

Change in unpaid care provision

This area saw Wales' third-largest rise in the proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care.

During this period, Torfaen overtook Swansea to become the Wales local authority area with the eighth-highest percentage of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care.

In 2011, just under 1 in 25 (3.8%) in Torfaen reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week, compared with 3.2% in 2001. The percentage that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.6% to 1.9%.

The largest increase occurred in Denbighshire (from 3.0% to 3.6%) followed by Neath Port Talbot (from 4.2% to 4.8%).

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care in Torfaen remained close to 3.8%

Percentage of usual residents in Wales, Caerphilly and Torfaen by care, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Torfaen

The number of people in Torfaen that described themselves as having no religion increased from about 19,000 in 2001 to about 33,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 20% to 36% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across Wales (from 19% to 32%).

The number of people in Torfaen that described themselves as Christian decreased from just over 64,000 in 2001 to just over 50,000 in 2011 (from 71% to 55%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation decreased from about 7,400 to about 6,900 (from 8.2% to 7.6%).

Just under 320 people (0.2%) said they identified with a religion other than Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism or Sikhism, up from just under 170 in 2001 (0.4%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Torfaen increased by 15 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Wales, Caerphilly and Torfaen by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Torfaen residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 14% to 8.7% in the decade to 2011.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 8 in 10 (76%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 62% in 2001. The percentage of Torfaen residents that described their health as fair decreased from 24% to 16%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to Caerphilly (from 15% in 2001 to 9.3% in 2011). Across Wales, the proportion fell from 12% to 7.6%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Torfaen decreased by 5.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Torfaen, Caerphilly and Wales said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

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Area report data

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